i will be in ft myers visiting my mum from january 14th thru the 20th,

wigerts is already on my list... but apart from that (and golf, paddleboarding, a full day at the beach just hanging out, longboarding, etc), if anyone knows of any bonsai activities or "must see" things of interest, feel free to PM me or post here...

Wigerts really is a nice nursery, and you'll find the prices cheaper than your local bonsai nursery I would think. I'd check out Fenway south personally but I'm also from the Boston area. Last time I was there I walked into a spring training scrimmage with some of the minor league prospects. Pretty sweet little area.

Well the beach is ok but not great unless it's spring break, you could go on a fishing charter or a casino boat. I just realized we may have only bonsai in common....

If you're a coffee drinker be aware that when I went I think there was only one dunkin in the whole city. There were 4 people there beside my wife and I, and two of those people were also on vacation from Boston!

If you are up for a day trip, that perhaps your mother might like, visit Redlands Fruit and Spice Park. It is about 146 miles from Fort Meyer's via Hwy 41. You can do a "Windsheild Tour" of the Everglades on the way there and back. The park has hundreds of tropical fruit trees, and usually has an assortment available to sample in the visitor's center. Robert's Fruit stand just outside the park is a great place to pick up an exotic fruit smoothie and a few pounds of fresh fruit for the drive home. (definitely try Sapodilla if in season) I loved the White Sapote smoothie and the Mamey (a Pouteria species) smoothie. They hold a major orchid festival there in May, which is how I got to know the area. http://www.fruitandspicepark.org/

If you do get to the Fruit and Spice Park, nearby is Pine Island Nursery, a great source for culinary cultivars of the same tropical fruits you will see at the park. http://www.tropicalfruitnursery.com/ Pine Island Nursery - and Redlands are south west of Miami, south of Hwy 41, just north of Homestead Florida. They are not bonsai - rather they are a specialist in propagating select tropical fruit trees. A number of the species they carry could make fruiting bonsai with delicious fruit. "Eat your bonsai". Seriously they do have several species of Eugenia, one was mentioned as having rough bark - might be worth looking for. The advantage of driving there is that you could start with a 5 or 10 gallon size Eugenia or Jaboticaba, which you could never afford to have shipped via mail order. I love Sapodilla, the flavor is awesome, have not tried one growing one yet, but if you have room for a medium size tree, you might try one. Seeing what they have might be interesting. You might find a "condo size" mango, for your mother's back yard or the balcony of her condo. A tree ripened fresh Mango is a slice of heaven.

Another suggestion, stop in at just about any landscape nursery and shop Bouganvillea. Or if you know a landscape contractor in the are near Ft. Meyer's, ask if they have any recently dug out old bouganvillea stumps.

T - i actually prefer the beach when its not mobbed up with spring breakers

and thanks leo... i dont know that my mom would be down for a 2.5 - 3 hour drive, but maybe...

i like that last suggestion, but i am not driving down, so i will be limited in size on what i can bring back on the plane...but i was thinking of a bougie from wigerts... just not as big as i might like...

When I bought a specimen boxwood on a trip to DC a year before 9/11 , I packed it like it was my "baby" with the intention to carry it on the plane. The bonsai was roughly inspected at the gate and when I finally boarded the plane discovered it would not fit in the overhead storage ! As luck would have it, a kind flight attendant put it in their closet. You probably would face the same problem checking it in!

I know some nurseries are experienced in shipping the bonsai. That's what I would do now! Good luck!!!!

luckily i cannot afford a "specimen" specimen (nor would i desire to if i could afford it )

i kinda dont think shipping it at this time of year would be good as i will most likely be getting a tropical of some type...i was thinking i would just wrap the pot and soil in plastic wrap and stick it in a box...

but your tip does remind me that i should check the height of the overhead compartments...either that or it will spend 3 hours on my lap, in which case i should pack some wire and just get to work on it on the flight back

I am sure you could pick and pay at wigerts.... And then have it shipped when your weather is more conducive...that way you can pick exactly what you want and have it safely shipped... Might have to suffer thru a little bit of delayed gratification...and none of the hassles of bringing it back on the plane. You would have to pay the extra baggage fee but you could also pack it for shipping and send it through checked luggage on your flight.John